“Groovy Motherfucker”

Snippet from Bill Carter’s forthcoming book about this year’s Leno/Conan farrago.

The fabulous and funny Anna Pickard has launched a new TV blog, and it’s topnotch. She’s kicking off by watching all of Lost for the first time — all five seasons — over the course of one week, so she can be ready for the final series next Tuesday. Marvelous.

ESPN is producing a series of documentaries about notable, potentially forgotten, moments in recent US sports history. Some of these sound fascinating, and it might be worth recording the whole set, just to become more sports-conversant.

Attention Americans with senses of humour (sic): Hulu are now streaming the first series of top-notch British sitcom Peep Show. You should watch it, because it is bloody funny, and only mildly uncomfortably close to the bone.

Dollhouse may not be as dead as thought. Fun with US TV politics means that what “FOX Broadcasting” (the TV network) ordered, and what “20th Century Fox Television” (the production company) produced for sale to secondary markets and DVDs, haven’t lined up, so there’s this mysterious not-to-be-aired 13th episode.

But let’s face it, Dollhouse is still probably not coming back.

This is amazingly good news. Steven Moffat (writer of Coupling and Press Gang, as well as the best episodes of “new” Doctor Who) is taking over as lead writer. I’m giddy at the prospect of what’s to come.

Preview clip of the US version of Life on Mars. Getting past the generic music and cheesy voiceover, this looks like it has the potential to get the right mix between the original’s storyline and 70s Americana. Looking forward to seeing more.

The superb 90s sketch show Absolutely is finally getting a complete DVD release. Hurrah!

Ashes to Ashes (the 80’s Life on Mars follow-up) is starting the first week of February, and everything about it sounds bloody AMAZING.

“What’s been your favourite scene to film?” “That would have to be when we were on a speed boat going under Tower Bridge carrying machine guns. Say no more.”

Woot! “The Mole” is coming back in a non-celebrity edition. This makes me: happy!

I can forgive TV companies for running crooked competitions, or faking phone-ins, but overrulling the viewers’ choice for the name for the Blue Peter Cat? That’s just EVIL!

Fantasy TV network game from the folks at Television Without Pity.

DirecTV is beta-testing a new video-on-demand service on their High-Def PVRs. Since there’s only one-way communication via the satellite dish, they require you to plug an ethernet cable in the back of the PVR. Interesting approach.

YES! When I was flying on JetBlue last week, I happened upon a Gladiators rerun on “ESPN Classic” and loved it. Not quite as awesome and deliberately campy as the British version, but still ridiculously fun.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone hint that the season premiere of South Park is so controversy-prone, they can’t reveal its topic in case it gets pulled. Also coming soon: Cartman as Jack Bauer in a 24 spoof.

Christopher Guest is to direct the pilot of the US version of “The Thick of It”. Very cool.

Studio 60 going off the air in a month, return date “to be announced”. The writer sums up my feelings towards the show pretty well: “I don’t hate it, but I find it incredibly frustrating. All that talent—Sorkin, the blue-chip cast (led by Matthew Perry)—and all those lofty aspirations, marred by weak execution, lazy writing, dramatic issues that are hard to care about, and a lack of verisimilitude”